LIVE: Northlane @ Corporation, Sheffield, 27/05/16

Earlier this week, I was blessed with the opportunity to photograph and review a one off Northlane show at Sheffield’s (in)famous Corporation ahead of our relaunch as INVICTA – we can think of worse ways to kick off a new publication, can’t you?

Arriving at Corporation is a familiar feeling to all people around Sheffield . Love it or hate it, gig-goers hold Corp close to their hearts, and I could feel the excitement in the air as soon as my foot touched the sticky, stale-beer-soaked floor the venue is so famous for. To my surprise, quite a substantial portion of the crowd seemed to be there for opening act: Casey. I myself had yet to hear Casey, but then the moment arrived and the lights dropped.

Casey came on to the stage and the gig had officially started. Having no knowledge of what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised with their commanding presence on stage, well orchestrated music and heartfelt lyrics. Vocalist Tom Weaver transitions perfectly from one style of vocals to another, using a quiet singing voice before trying to take your head off with some screaming – believe me it works well. For me, the song “Teeth” was the stand out of the night, and I have no doubt I’ll be seeing Casey at the next opportunity I get.

After Casey’s departure from the stage it was time for Hellions, another band I’d not heard of until that day. Luckily I had given them a quick listen before the gig, and god I was glad I did, just outstanding in every possible way I could think of on a recording. For me, the question was, ‘would they hold up in a live performance?’…The answer was yes, yes and yes. They sounded like Deez Nuts and circa 2006 Gallows with a little bit of Stray From the Path thrown in there. It was an absolute treat to experience Hellions live and they’re currently making their way on to all of my playlists.

Despite being slightly disappointed Hellions set was over I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t ridiculously excited for Northlane’s set to start. The stage went black and the band took their places. Standing there armed with a camera about to shoot a band I’ve adored for years was a great feeling and with this being my first experience of new vocalist Marcus Bridge I was also curious to hear how he’d handle songs written and performed by former vocalist Adrian Fitipaldes while merging them with tracks from their latest release Node. Needless to say he pulled it off perfectly, the instrumental from the band was flawless and his vocals exceeded every expectation.

As their set continued and the crowd got more and more into it not one thing phased them, they were handling everything perfectly from the moment a friend of mine hopped the barrier onto the stage before security could grab him to the moment a fan split his head open next to us. Marcus handed him a bottle of water and a towel and the set continued, nailing every song along the way including crowd favourites Quantum flux and Dream awake from the 2014 album singularity and ofcourse songs from Node such as Rot and my personal favourite from node, Obelisk

Their set came to an end and after saying goodbye to everyone in the front row with handshakes and fist bumps the band departed the stage and we made our way out of the venue amongst the battered and bruised fans all in agreement that every band on the line up absolutely smashed it.

LIVE: Northlane @ Corporation, Sheffield, 27/05/16

Matt Wesson

May 31, 2016

9/10

The support acts set the standards high before the boys from down under rear their filthy heads and nail it...as always! One point deducted because the lighting fucked me over (I know it's not their fault....but still).

9Overall Score

A night with Australia's finest.

The support acts set the standards high before the boys from down under rear their filthy heads and nail it...as always! One point deducted because the lighting fucked me over (I know it's not their fault....but still).